Cooperative problem solving in distributed decision making contexts

The author examines scenarios where distributed decision-making takes place and proposes a distributed problem solving (DPS) model using object-oriented concepts and artificial intelligence tools to aid the process of decision-making. A description of the DPS model is given. A brief overview of core object-oriented paradigm constructs, on which the model relies heavily is included. The basic structure of the model is a network of contexts that consist of manager and worker objects who predefined sets of roles with reference to a particular context. How problem solving actually takes place in the model is described. Some design issues and questions that are unanswered and that help define future research directions are considered